Modern computers don’t need replacing anywhere near as often as they did 20 years ago, but replacing your OS installation and building a brand-new rig from scratch is still a major hassle. MSI wants to solve that problem once and for all, whether you prefer Intel processors or AMD APUs.

Google released a major update for its Project Ara platform today, with additional information on the modular platform’s upcoming capabilities, flexibility, and long-term market plans. The company will test the device in Puerto Rico later this year in preparation for a possible commercial launch.

Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group is finally ready to show off a new, fully working prototype of the Project Ara modular smartphone. The prototype appears to be a polished version of Spiral 1, which made a brief public appearance in June at Google I/O. Perhaps most excitingly, though, the Project Ara engineers say that they’re almost ready to show off Spiral 2, which will make the prototype from the video look like a potato.

At I/O 2014, Google has publicly turned on its modular Project Ara smartphone for the first time. Considering Project Ara nothing more than some pretty concept art back in October 2013, it’s impressive how quickly Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group has produced a working prototype. If all goes to plan, Google hopes to sell the modular Ara smartphone in 2015, starting at $50 for a bare-bones endoskeleton that you plug other modules into. During the ATAP tech session at I/O 2014, Ara chief Paul Eremenko also gave us lots of technical details about how to actually build a modular phone — no mean feat, as you can probably imagine.

There is no shortage of genuinely good smartphone options on the market. However, if you want to stay completely up-to-date, you’ll have to toss your old phone once a year in order to buy the new model. Unlike building a PC, you can’t switch out the parts to keep your rig fresh. Google aims to remedy that issue with its modular smartphone experiment, Project Ara, and now that project is closer than ever.

This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use.

ExtremeTech Newsletter

Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox.

Email

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our
Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time.